Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. The Weekly Harvest Newsletter is also available online.

News & Resources

USDA Releases Report on the Growing Importance of Food Hubs in Rural America

Farmers' Guide to Internships Released

Newly Revised Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture Now Available

Video Series Features Resilient Farmers

New Dairy Forage Fact Sheet Available from SARE

Sustainable Agriculture Museum to Open in South Carolina

Funding Opportunities

National Sustainable Strawberry Initiative

Iowa State Soil Conservation Committee Research and Demonstration Fund

Kentucky On-farm Energy Efficiency & Production Incentives Program

Coming Events

New England Meat Conference

Just Food Conference

MOFGA Spring Growth Conference: Garlic

News & Resources

USDA Releases Report on the Growing Importance of Food Hubs in Rural America A new report from USDA, The Role of Food Hubs in Local Food Marketing, provides a comprehensive look at the economic role, challenges, and opportunities for food hubs in the nation's growing local food movement. The report finds that the success of food hubs is rapidly expanding, with well over 200 food hubs now operating in the United States. The full report is available online as a PDF file.

Farmers' Guide to Internships Released
Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc. (FLAG) has released a new publication, Farmers' Guide to Farm Internships. The guide is available free online as a 173-page PDF file. It addresses federal and Minnesota labor and employment law issues relating to farm internships, including topics such as compensating interns, meal and rest breaks, safety, housing, and taxes and withholding.Related ATTRA Resource:Sustainable Farming Internships and Apprenticeships

Newly Revised Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture Now Available SARE has revised Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture to help farmers interested in pastured poultry learn more about pasturing systems, animal health, cooperative marketing, quality-of-life concerns, and more. The 16-page bulletin combines farmer experiences and the latest research to serve as a comprehensive primer on pastured-poultry systems.Related ATTRA Resource:Pastured Poultry Production and Profitability, webinar with Terrell Spencer, who revised Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture.

Video Series Features Resilient Farmers IATP has released a series of five new videos that look at individual farmers and how sustainable practices on the farm help them stay resilient to a changing climate and increasingly common hurdles like the 2012 drought. The videos are viewable online.

New Dairy Forage Fact Sheet Available from SARE
A new SARE fact sheet, Alternative Continuous-Cover Dairy Forage System for Profitability, Flexibility and Soil Health, describes a flexible, resilient system in which farmers can grow their own high-quality dairy forage in corn- and alfalfa-based cropping systems. The fact sheet is based on a SARE-funded study in New York that engaged farmers to employ the alternative continuous-cover forage (ACCF) system on their farms.

Sustainable Agriculture Museum to Open in South Carolina Pendleton District Commission has announced the grand opening for the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum of South Carolina. Exhibits, events, and programming of the museum will promote sustainable agriculture through the interpretation of historical practices, science, technology, and the future of the industry in South Carolina. The museum will act as a resource, providing connections between farmers, local communities, and South Carolina's slow food movement.

National Sustainable Strawberry Initiative
The National Sustainable Strawberry Initiative is a new competitive grants program of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Center for Agriculture and Rural Sustainability, with funding from the Walmart Foundation. The purpose of the program is to move sustainable strawberry production forward by supporting multidisciplinary projects focused on outreach, education, and demonstration. Land-grant and state-funded colleges and universities are eligible to apply for anticipated awards of $50,000 to $200,000. A letter of intent to apply is due by April 1, 2013.

Iowa State Soil Conservation Committee Research and Demonstration Fund
Iowa State Soil Conservation Committee Research and Demonstration Fund has assistance available to support research or education/demonstration projects that explore sustainable agriculture and projects focused on reducing nonpoint pollution. Funds are available to collaborative teams of scientists, farmers, institutions, soil and water conservation districts, and educators.Applications must be submitted by April 3, 2013.

Kentucky On-farm Energy Efficiency & Production Incentives Program
The 2013 Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund On-Farm Energy Efficiency & Production program provides incentives for Kentucky farm families to increase energy efficiency and renewable fuel production. Successful applicants may receive up to 50% reimbursement of the actual cost of a qualified energy-saving measure, up to $15,000. Applications are reviewed quarterly. The next application deadline is April 26, 2013.

New England Meat Conference March
22-23, 2013
Concord, New Hampshire
This conference is seeking to enhance the production, processing, and marketing of sustainable, nutritious, humanely raised, and delicious meat from New England farms by providing educational and networking opportunities for meat producers, processors, and consumers. The event will feature 26 educational sessions, networking opportunities, and a meat industry tradeshow.

Just Food Conference March
29-30,
2013
New York, New York
The conference will provide attendees with opportunities to learn about cooking and food preservation techniques, CSA trends, and local and national farm and food issues, as well as ways to mobilize communities in order to increase access to farm-fresh, locally grown food.

Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews Archives
Digital versions of recent and archived Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews newsletters are available online. ATTRAnews is the newsletter of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - ATTRA - was developed and is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). The project is funded through a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service.

Visit the NCAT website for more information on our other sustainable agriculture and energy projects.